Roller skate



R. M. GRINNEN 1,733,059

ROLLER SKATE Oc't. 422, 1929.

Filed March 5, 1928 gwuwntoz Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE ROLLER SKATE Application led March 5,

This invention relates to roller skates and has special reference to those of the two wheel or so-called bicycle type.

The general object of the invention is to improve devices of this class in the particulars to be herein mentioned.

An important object of the invention is to provide a skate which may or may not .be adjustable as to length, this detail being immaterial, but which is provided with screw operated clamping means for effecting securing of the forward portion upon the shoe of the wearer, this clamping means having the distinguishing characteristic of a peculiar construction whereby the sole engaging portions of the clamps may move relatively to the main portions so as to accommodate themselves to the curvature of the shoe sole regardless of what it may be, an effective clamping action being obtained without an edge digging into the soleas so frequent-ly occurs in the use of the ordinary type of clamp.

Another important feature `of the invention is to provide a novel mounting for the wheels whereby' they will be positively prevented from becoming loose or detached, thus avoiding danger of accidents.

A more specific object of the invention is so to provide a roller skate in which the wheel mounting is such that no wear will come upon any part of the skate itself but only upon the hub of the wheel or the stationary spindle upon which it turns, novel means being provided for maintaining the spindle rigidly in place, this means being, however, readily capable of removal whenever it 1s necessary to make repairs or replacements in case of breakage of the parts.

An additional object is to provide a skate of this character which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to put on and use, positive in action, efficient and durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the invention preferably consists in the details of construction and the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described 1928. Serial No. 259,240.

and claimed,` andlillustratedgin the accompanying drawing 1n which:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of a skate constructed in accordance with the invention, e

Figure 2 is a side elevation,

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the lineB-S of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailsection on the line 1--4 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing I have shown .the skate as comprising a main body or platform portion 1() which ma be constructed of any suitable material suoli as wood or metal, the latter being obviously preferable on account of its greater strength, rigidity and durability. lt is of course true that the body may be formed as a stamping or casting, the latter being probably preferable an'd it is shown as having a shape conforming substantially to that of a shoe sole. No adjustment for the length is illustrated as this is a feature well known in the art and as it miglit be provided or omitted at ythe will of the manufacturer. At its underside this platform or body portion is formed or otherwise provided with depending standards 11 which serve as vmeans for supporting, the wheels in a manner to be specifically described hereinafter thugh it might be mentioned at this point that the skate is intended to have only two wheels.

At the back or heel portion of the platform or body is an upstanding curved flange 12 preferably of sheet metal adapted to receive the heel of the wearer-s shoe, and this flange is provided at opposite sides with slots 13 for the passage of the usual strap, not shown, intended to be passed over the instep and buckle. rlhe means for securing the forward or toe portion of the device upon the foot is shown. as comprising a clamp device including a pair of clamping members'l preferably dovetailed in cross section and slidable toward or from each other in guides 15 defined between overhanging flanges 16 on the underside of the body 10, these members 14 having pivoted beneath the outer end portions thereof, as shown at 17, clamping elements 18 having upwardly and inwardly turned outer ends 19 ada ted to engage against and over the edges of t e shoe sole of the wearer, the pivoting of these outer-sections or elements permitting them to accommodate themselves to the curvature of fthe shoe sole which, as is well known, varies widely according to the style and type of' shoe. The clamping means further includes a screw 20 having a reduced intermediate portion 21 journaled in a member 22 depending from the underside of the body 10, this screw having itsv end portions oppositely threaded as shown and engaged throug threaded holes in downturned ears 23 on the inner ends of the clamping members 14. The outer ends of the screw are squared at 24 for engagement of the usual skate key thereon. The only7 distinctive feature about this clamping structure is the formation of the clamping members of pivoted sections so that the outer sections f may accommodate themselves to the curvature of the shoe sole instead of digging thereinto as would be the case if a rigid construction were to be pro vided.

Inorder to mount the wheels 25, each depending standard 11 is slotted or bifurcated as shown at 26 to define spaced arms 27 which have their lower ends formed with sockets 28 Within which are received the squared ends 29 of a spindle 30 which is thus held stationary. The wheel itself may of course be of any referred construction but regardless of whet er it be formed of the oppositely bowed metal disks 31 illustrated or whether it be of the spoked type, it includes a tire 32 and a hub 33, the latter being rotatably engaged upon the spindle 30 and fitting fairly closely within the bifurcation or slot 26 so that the wheel cannot move sideways to any appreciable extent.

The sockets 28 are located at the inner or upper ends of slots 34 which extend clear to the ends of the arms 27, these slots being of considerabl greate width at the center of the arms t an at either the outer or inner faces, as clearly shown in Figure l. In order to maintain the spindle 30 in position and revent it under any circumstances from oosening or dropping out, I provide each arm of each standard witha retaining means comprising a plate element or cover 35 which fits within a somewhat cut away portion 36 at the outside of the standard so that its outer surface will be Hush with or constitute a'continuation of that of the standard. The cover late carries a filler lug 37 slidably and conormingly received within the slot 34 and of course engaging beneath the squared end of the spindle. Each cover plate or retainer is held in place by some suitable means such as a screw 38 which is threaded into a suitably tapped hole 39 in the arm of the. standard.

Assuming that the skate has been constructed and assembled as above described it is of course apparent that it is used in identically the same/manner as any other roller skate, there being nothing distinctive about the operation. The feature of the clamping means has already been explained but it 'should be pointed out that the peculiar wheel mounting is such that no wear will come upon the cover members or retainers 35 have portions engaging beneath the squared ends of the wheel spindles there can be no dropping down of the latter. rl'here are no nuts and bolts to jar loose as the result of the inevitable vibration and the entire mounting Ishould therefore be considered as possessing the maximum safety. In case of any necessity for making repairs or replacements the screws 38 may be removed and the retainers '35 detached whereupon the spindles, carrying the Wheels, may be permitted to drop out. rIhe entire structure is consequently extremely easy to repair in ease any such necessity arises. It is really believed that the construction, operation and advantages Will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the disclosure is merely an exemplilication of the principles involved as the right is reserved to make all such changes in the details of construction as will widen the field of utility and increase the adaptability of the device provided such changes constitute no departure from the spiritI of the invention or the scope of the `claims hereunto appended.

I-Iaving thus described the invent-ion, I claim:

1. In a skate, a platform portion having a depending standard bifurcated t0 dene spaced arms, said arms being formed with square sockets and slots communicating with the sockets andleading to the ends of the arms, a spindle traversing the bifurcation and having a cylindrical central portion and squared end portions received Within the sockets, a wheel located within the bifurcation and journaled upon the cylindrical portion of the spindle, and retaining members detachably mounted upon said arms and having portions filling said slots.

2. In a skate, a platform portion havin a depending standard bifurcated to de ne spaced arms, said arms being formed with square sockets and slots communicating with the sockets and leading to the ends of the arms, a spindle traversing the bifurcation and having a cylindrical central portion and squared end portions received within the sockets, a wheel located within the bifurcation and journaled upon the cylindrical portion` of the spindle, and retaining members detachably mounted upon said arms and having portions filling said slots, portions of the arms being cut away and said retaining members fitting within said cut away portions and having their outer surfaces continuations of the outer surfaces of the arms.

3. In a skate, a platform portion having a depending standard bifurcated to define spaced arms, said arms being formed with square sockets and slots communicating with the sockets and leading to the ends of the arms, a spindle traversing the bifurcation and having a cylindrical central portion and squared end portions received Within the sockets, a wheel located within the bifurcation and journaled upon the cylindrical portion of the spindle, and retaining members detachably mounted upon said arms and having portions filling said slots,\said slots being widest at their intermediate points or inwardly of the faces of the arms.

4. In a skate, a platform portion having a dependingy standard including spaced arms, said arms being formed with angular sockets and slots communicating therewith and leading to the ends, a'spindle traversing the space between the arms and having a cylindrical central portion and angular end portions received within the sockets, a wheel located between the arms and journaled upon the cylindrical portion of the spindle, and retaining members detachably mounted upon said arms and having portions extending into said slots to confine the spindle within the sockets.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

RICHARD M. GRINN EN. 

